The Otherlings Tarot

The Otherlings Tarot is an in-progress project, that upon completion, will be a hand-drawn, black and white, 78-card tarot deck. The story behind these weird and wonderful characters is one of transcending what it means to be "normal" or "acceptable" as prescribed by the limiting and oppressive standards of today’s society.

Each creature and being you will meet along the way is in some way distinct in their differences.

Unique.

They exist outside, and beyond convention.

Their story is one rooted in another realm: A long time ago, a group of Otherlings were outcast from the community and families they were born into. They were left to live on the outskirts, due to those in power’s inability and refusal to see them for what, and who, they truly were.

The Otherlings found solace in their new surroundings. They made homes out of clouded skies, deep and cold waters, and dark, rich soil. The elements responded in kind to them in ways that the townsfolk never had.

They each learned from a great teacher who went by many names:

Desert and Rainstorm; Cave and Snake; Tree and Sea...

Much time had passed when those who had shunned them began to realize with great regret that even greater wisdom came hand in hand with the Otherlings' strange nature.

Their magic was stronger for overcoming other's perceptions of them, and they held special power that grew stronger from harnessing the entirety of their complex states-of-being.

Their myth lives on, and through story passed from generation to generation, they are now exalted and revered as Wise Ones; not despite their unacceptable nature, but because of it.

This deck hopes to spread the wisdom of the Otherlings, so like them, we can release ourselves from the restrictive rules and regulations that seek to mold us into who we are "supposed to be".

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Together, we'll dive into the self-acceptance that comes along with embracing our personal intricacies, seeing our challenges as gifts, exploring the beauty that resides in hidden or forgotten parts of ourselves, and celebrating the things that we fear may set us apart.

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My intention for this deck is to offer it as a tool to explore these fears, and to look after our fascinating inner and outer worlds with more love, devotion, awareness and care.

The Fours

Updated: Jun 7, 2019

4 of Earth

The 4 of Earth invites us to explore preservation, conservation, and resourcefulness. What do these concepts look like in the material world in their fullest expression- when grown in a place of love? And what do they look like when they are rooted in fear?

From love: We conserve resources to protect or create something we care deeply about. We consider the common good and our contributing role. We preserve our energy as we know where it can best be used. We create healthy limits and boundaries that encourage long-term growth: both for the individual, AND the collective we created awareness around in the 3 of Earth. We believe there is enough to go around. We believe WE are enough (simply, as we are).

From fear: We do not trust, so we do not share. We fear we will lose what is ours and ours only, so we shut down, shut others out, and cling to whatever perpetuates our illusion of security and status. These are often possessions, or markers of our physical identity- the things society tells us are most important. We fear there is not enough to go around. We fear that WE are not enough (especially without our “things”).

We are fed many messages in a broken, disconnected, classist and capitalist system that encourage wealth+resource hoarding, and competition. We say things like “Every man for himself.”, or “It’s a dog eat dog world”.

We must work to rewire ourselves and this old, tired system. That process begins in examining the place which we operate from.

Is it Abundance or Scarcity?

Enoughness or Not-Enoughness?

4 of Air

We must learn when to rest.

We must learn when to say no.

We must learn to choose our battles, and even more importantly- choose our mental health over battles not worth our precious time and energy.

We must not get so caught up in the muck, and in the fight that we forget to breathe.

To recalibrate.

To recharge.

To regenerate.

To find our center and stay there for awhile, to safely tuck that feeling into our memory so that we will not soon forget it, when the inevitable time comes to pick up where we left off.

A Few Loving Reminders:

Being held will not hold us back.

Self love is not selfish.

Taking time for ourselves will not slow us down.

Pain, expectations, obligations and a society that screams for us to ACT NOW, GO FASTER, and KEEP UP all become very loud- and often we lose the ability to differentiate between the myriad voices vying for our attention.

We forget the last time it was quiet.

Now is the time to seek that place out.

If we won’t make the choice to lay down, trust that an external force will likely do the job for us- and not quite as gently.

It is perfectly natural, and highly encouraged to just s t o p, every now and then. Whatever we wish to rush ahead for, whether the times be better or worse, will always wait for us on the other side.

Stillness is an option, now. Be here, stay here.

Contact

Thanks for your interest in The Otherlings Tarot! For more information, this is the best way to get in touch. I will get back to you soon.